The Glue That Binds Us
by Moore12
Summary: Clint was falling. He was falling and there was nothing he could do about it. He'd been hit in the side with some kind of laser ray. He'd been pushed off a building. His bow, and his ear piece, had been both knocked away. It just wasn't his day, apparently. Or when Clint fell off a building and brought the team together in the process. Reviews always appreciated.


**The Glue That Binds Us**

" _Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together." – Natasha Romanoff, Age of Ultron_

Clint was falling.

Natasha didn't see what happened. She only saw the aftermath: her partner plummeting towards the ground from the top of the high rise he had chosen for his latest perch, a tiny black speck against the clear blue sky. "Stark!" she screamed into her comm, panic coursing through her.

Tony didn't see it at all. He was kind of preoccupied trying to lose the handful of suddenly homicidal androids trailing him and determine who the hell had managed to hack J.A.R.V.I.S. to turn the Iron Legion against the Avengers while he was at it. He heard Romanoff scream, and he snapped in response, "Romanoff, I'm a little busy."

Steve didn't notice until he heard Natasha's scream in his ear. She was fighting right beside him so he knew she wasn't the one who needed backup. And that was when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Barton speeding rapidly towards the ground. "Stark, get to Barton's position now!" he yelled, his heart pounding in his ears. He couldn't have this happen again. "He's falling!"

Thor didn't hear the Captain's order because he had forgotten his ear piece yet again. He did see the Man of Iron shoot off in the direction of the high rise he had dropped the archer on top of at the start of the battle. And it didn't take him long to realize why. With a roar, he dispatched the androids he was fighting and flew in that direction because, by his estimations, the Man of Iron wasn't going to make it in time.

Bruce didn't see any of what was happening; he was in the van because nobody had called a Code Green. But he did hear everything over his earpiece, and he had to fight to control his rage. They couldn't lose Barton. He didn't know what it was about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but he had an ability to walk into a room, crack a joke, and diffuse all the tension. And, on every mission, he had their back, lobbying arrows into any unseen threat before it could even become one. Bruce hoped they would have his when he needed them.

Natasha couldn't look. She didn't want to see the man who saved her die before she could repay her debt. As she sent a bullet through an android's eye, she wondered how she would tell Laura Clint wasn't coming home.

Tony couldn't look. After blowing the androids to bits, he ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to send all power to his suit's thrusters, but he knew he was going to be too late. Barton was seconds from impact. He was more than that away.

Steve couldn't look. He didn't want to watch the death of another one of his soldiers. As he smashed his shield into an android's head with uncharacteristic malice, he relived Bucky falling from the train into the icy ravine.

Bruce couldn't listen. He pulled out his ear piece, buried his head in his hands and whistled a low, calming tune to himself. He'd have to trust Tony would get there in time; the Hulk would just make things worse.

Clint couldn't look. He was falling and there was nothing he could do about it. He'd been hit in the side with some kind of laser ray. He'd been pushed off a building. His bow, and his ear piece, had been both knocked away. It just wasn't his day, apparently. And, right when he was starting to wonder if his luck really had run out and he was going to leave his wife a widow and his kids without a father, a pair of strong arms caught him.

The moment Thor reached the ground, he gently laid the archer down and knelt at his side, taking stock of the angry wound in his side, the blood glistening in the summer sun. He was about to call out to his teammates—he vowed silently to never forget his earpiece again—when the archer's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled. He had blood in his smile, but he smiled none the less.

"Knew…somebody…would catch me."

And, with those words, Clint promptly passed out, the smile still gracing his face.

When Clint woke up in a hospital bed—it could have been hours, days or weeks, he didn't know and didn't honestly care—he was careful not to open his eyes. He didn't want to disturb the conversation going on around him. Last names and titles had been traded for first names and nicknames, the pointed barbs and angry threats from the pre-mission meeting for a friendly game of 20 questions. Clint couldn't help but smile to himself before the morphine pulled him under again.

At least falling off a building wasn't the only thing he accomplished that mission.

* * *

 _Just a little drabble I felt like putting on paper to take a break from Part IV of "Hide & Seek" and Steve's chapter of "5 Times Clint Slipped Into Daddy Mode In Front of the Avengers." I wanted to play with repetition, which is why all the paragraphs start in a similar fashion and are of similar lengths. I don't know why, but I thought it would be an interesting device to show the team coming together. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I would absolutely love hearing what you think. ~Moore12_


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